Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.
Graduate Programme 2024: Integrated Water Resource Management (Masters/PhD Entry)
Start your career with a splash. When you join Scottish Water as a Graduate, it’s more than just a great launchpad for your career. You’ll play an important part in helping Scotland to flourish, by delivering the critical infrastructure and services that our nation relies on every day.
You’ll be joining us at a fascinating time, as we endeavour to transform into a more agile, innovative organisation that provides truly excellent service, delivers great value for money, and works in an environmentally sustainable way that goes beyond Net Zero.
What you’ll do
Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is a co-ordinated and sustainable approach to development of water resources. For Scottish Water this means making sure that we have a resilient water supply, while protecting and enhancing the natural water environment.
Your home base will be our Water Resource Planning & Supply Optioneering Team, but you’ll have the option to complete placements in related teams across the business. This is a rare opportunity to learn all aspects of water resources working from catchment to the customers tap.
As an IWRM Specialist you’ll be committed to working with the natural seasonal rhythms of water, on a river basin scale. You’ll develop an understanding of meteorology, catchments, hydrology, and freshwater ecology, and the role of water resource infrastructure and operational planning in delivering drought resilient water supplies to Scotland’s communities. You’ll also support the planning of infrastructure and policy change, finding the best solutions for both people and the environment so that Scotland continues to flourish.
There will be opportunities to develop understanding of the critical role water resources have in underpinning the socioeconomic development of communities across Scotland, with water demand planning for both households and businesses and water use of all sectors in Scotland.
How does the graduate programme work?
- You’ll be employed on a permanent contract from Day One.
- The starting salary for this role will be from £28,500. After each successful 6-month placement, your salary will increase by up to £1000.
- You’ll be part of a cohort of c.60 graduates, giving you an instant and invaluable network of contacts throughout the business.
- There is plenty of support. As well as your day-to-day manager, we’ll match you up with a mentor who will support and coach you as you go through your programme.
- You’ll have access to both structured and informal training designed to equip you with the skills you need now, and in the future.
- If your background is in engineering and you’re aiming to get chartered status, we can help. Our programme is an Accredited Company Training Scheme with the IMechE, IChemE, IET and ICE. And we can support your chartership journey with other professional institutes.
What you’ll need
You’ll have graduated within the last three years (or be on track to graduate next summer). You will hold a Masters or Doctoral level degree in a Water Management, Environmental Engineering, Ecology or a related field, with a strong focus on data management and analytics.
Ideally, you’ll be based near one of our central belt locations, e.g. Edinburgh, Stepps, or Dundee, with the ability to occasionally travel throughout the country.
And that means you’ll need a full UK-issued (DVLA) driving license – or be on track to pass your test.
In terms of essential requirements? That’s it.
But here’s the thing: We get thousands of applications for our Graduate roles each year. What makes the best candidates stand out?
Here are a few things we love to see:
- CVs that tell us more than what grades you earned over the years. Show us what you’ve learned. What you love. What your aspirations are.
- Cover letters that tell us why you’re interested in Scottish Water (and in Water Resources in particular).
- People who use their application to show that they are Bold, Responsible, Inspiring and Caring.
Looking out for you
While the work we do is important, it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.
You’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take paid time off to volunteer in your community.
When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.
For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), as well as life assurance.
As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.
What happens next?
- The closing date for applications is Sunday 17th December.
- Assessment activity will kick off in January with some surprisingly fun (no, really!) online testing.
- Final face-to-face interviews will happen during February. Where you can give us a good grilling too.
- If you accept a place on the programme, you’ll go through some pre-employment screening during the Spring, including a criminal record check.
- All our new Graduates will start together in September, with a week-long induction event in Glasgow. You’ll learn more about the organisation, meet our leaders, visit some of our operational sites, start making friends, and have a lot of fun.
A few final things worth knowing…
Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!
Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). We’re also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.
As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you’ll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.
Finally (finally!), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted.
We’re here to help. Ask us anything at SWRecruitment@ScottishWater.co.uk
